"Rohit Sharma Travelling To Pakistan Has Not Yet Been Discussed" - BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia

Apparently, when Rohit Sharma is struggling with poor form in domestic and international cricket, reports in ESPN Cricinfo claim that his travel to Pakistan is something that has not been finalised yet.

Previously several reports claimed that Rohit Sharma was to travel to Pakistan for the captain's press conference and the opening ceremony of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

However, recent reports in ESPN Cricinfo says that BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia has said that the BCCI has not had any internal discussion about the matter. The Champions Trophy starts on February 19 in Pakistan.

It could not be confirmed whether the BCCI would need the Indian government's permission for Rohit to travel to Pakistan. It is understood that the PCB has requested the ICC to ensure that, as per standard practice, all teams and captains are available for the Champions Trophy photoshoot, opening ceremony and other pre-tournament engagements. The ICC is making the necessary arrangements for all the teams.

India-Pakistan Set To Clash In Dubai

Team India will play all their matches in Dubai. They play first against Bangladesh on February 20, against Pakistan on February 23 and against New Zealand on March 2.

The last time India won the Champions Trophy was more than a decade ago under MS Dhoni's leadership in 2013. Four years later in 2017, They made the final under Virat Kohli's captaincy. Incidentally, they lost the final against Pakistan who are the defending champions of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Ajit Agarkar, the BCCI Chief Selector has named India's Champions Trophy squad with Rohit retained as the captain. He spoke very highly of the captain and the team. However, it was not a good comeback to domestic cricket for Rohit Sharma who scored just 3 against Jammu & Kashmir.

India have not travelled to Pakistan since 2008 and have not played any bilateral ties either. The ICC finalised on the hybrid model for the two teams to play in ICC events. Pakistan Cricket team did come to India to play in the ODI World Cup in 2023, but the BCCI and Indian government have always maintained that they are not willing to travel to Pakistan to play any kind of cricket.